A popular and existing method of mounting equipment such as solar panels to a roof is by the use of posts called stanchions. These stanchions are usually fastened to structural members (e.g. rafters or trusses) located just below the top roof surface called the decking. Before the stanchions are fastened to the structural members, the difficult task of locating the exact position of these members must be undertaken. The method for finding the structural members varies from using a proximity sensor (e.g. commercially available stud finder), to taking an educated guess and drilling or hammering a nail into the structural member, to very carefully measuring inside and outside of the structure. After the structural member has been located, a pilot hole must be drilled through the decking and into the structural member. The stanchion can then be fastened to the roof by means of a lag screw. Afterward, to prevent water from penetrating into the structure, the stanchion must be flashed into the roofing with a conical-shaped sheet metal part, such as a flashing boot. Roof sealant, like mastic, may be applied between the stanchion and the roof surface and between the flashing and the stanchion to further ensure weatherproofing.
The entire process of locating the structural member, drilling a pilot hole, fastening the stanchion, sealing, and flashing is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To add to the cost of the labor required, the cost to purchase and stock the stanchions, associated hardware, sealant, and flashings are also expensive. In addition to stanchion style products such as TILE-TRAC and the FASTJACK series from PROFESSIONAL SOLAR PRODUCTS of Camarillo Calif., commercial hangar bolts and other structural stanchions are employed with similar labor requirements and results.
The use of stanchions is popular because the roof penetrations for the stanchions can be reliably sealed using existing roofing methods with a standard flashing. However, the use of stanchions typically raises the mounted equipment off the roof by 4-8″, which is not aesthetically pleasing.